The Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Saidu Mohammed, has urged African nations to adopt a measured, step-by-step approach to harmonising fuel specifications across the continent, warning against the adoption of rigid targets that failed to account for the wide differences in regulatory capacity, infrastructure quality, and refining capabilities that existed between countries.
Mohammed made the call while speaking on a panel session at African Refiners and Distributors Association Week 2026, held in Cape Town, South Africa. The session examined policy pathways to fuel specification harmonisation, exploring the regulatory, commercial, and infrastructural dimensions of the challenge.
He argued that while continental harmonisation remained a worthwhile long-term strategic objective, a single framework applied uniformly across all African markets was impractical and potentially counterproductive. Instead, he advocated a transition model that would allow individual countries to advance at a pace consistent with their domestic realities, without disrupting supply chains or placing additional cost burdens on consumers.
“Harmonisation must be pragmatic and context-driven. We must align ambition with execution realities,” Mohammed said.
He outlined Nigeria’s regulatory trajectory under the NMDPRA, describing ongoing efforts to tighten fuel quality standards while maintaining supply stability and preserving market efficiency. He stressed that regulation in developing energy markets must strike a balance between environmental objectives and the equally pressing demands of affordability and energy access.
Mohammed identified several conditions he considered essential to successful harmonisation across the continent, including stronger collaboration between national regulatory bodies, greater policy clarity and consistency, sustained investment in refining and distribution infrastructure, and the setting of realistic transition timelines that reflected ground-level realities rather than aspirational benchmarks.
He also pointed to the potential benefits of alignment, noting that improved harmonisation of fuel specifications would help reduce market distortions, curtail cross-border fuel arbitrage, and facilitate stronger regional trade flows, while supporting a gradual shift toward cleaner fuel options across African markets.
Mohammed highlighted growing refining capacity in Africa, and particularly in Nigeria, as a significant factor that could accelerate harmonisation efforts by reducing the continent’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
The ARDA Week 2026 event, which marked two decades of Africa’s downstream industry coordination, brought together regulators, policymakers, and industry leaders from across the continent to examine how to build a more integrated and resilient African energy
